Potato digaer



-2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

` H. P. HINZ. PoT'ATo BIGGER.

Patented Sept. l, v1868.

' 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2.

v H. P. HINZ. PoTATo BIGGER.

No. 81,636. Patented Sept, 1, `1368.

VH E N RY P.v H I'N z, o r nU-N iron, ILL I'No-I s..

Letters Patent Il oi'BIB, dated `,Sjezztember 1, 1868,

rursovnusnr In rornro-mscsns.-

Mugs- TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:v

Beit known that I, HENRY Hmz, of Danton, in the county of Cook, and'Stetc of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Potato-Digging Machines; and Ido hereby declare and makehnown'that the i following is a full, clear, and exact 4description of the sanile, `reference being had to the'y accompanying drawings, andthe lettcrsandiigures marked thereon, which form lpart of this specification.

My said invention consists in 'a 'machineto bedrswn upon wheels hy horses along the rows of potatoes, which digs the potatoes from the ground, separates them from the soil and from thevines, and -conveysthem through an elevator in-to bags,'as the machine moves along over the ground, the entire operation being performed automatically, as hereinaftcrmore fully described. v i

To Ven ahle those skilled in the lartto understand how to construct and use my'said improvement, I will describe the. same with particularity makingreference in so doing te the aforesaid drawings, inwhchl Figure 1 represents aplan c'r top view of my invention,

Figure 2 lis a side elevation of the same, i

Figure 8 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, talen at the centre,

Figure 4 is a vertical cross-section, taken at the line x, ig.. 3, looking to the front,vand

Figure 5 represents a side' and front view cf-thc digger or shovel, and themcans ct' raising and lowering the same. o

Similar letters'rot reference in theseveral figures'den'fe thesnme'parts'of my-nvention.

` A represents a suitableuframe, supported upon two main wheels W W', and two small rear wheels, attached to the frame byu rotating vertical standard, so as to turn freely in any direction, to facilitate the turning The machine is intended to be of such width that thewheols will strike thc row of potato-hills to be dug or harvested, the wheels running `in the hollows between rows. I Y i B represents an upright frame, erected upon the' moin frame A, upon which Va scat, S, is arranged for the l driver, a foot re`st, S, being also suitably arranged upon supporting-standards e a', as seen in g, 2.

Upon said frame B are also secured the rear ends of two jointed frames'F F, arranged upon each side of the front half or portion of the machine, as clearly seen in iig. 3, the front ends of said frames F being secured to` thecurved or vertical armsG G, which are secured uponeach sido of the digger or scoop H, as shown, saiddigger havingsidc runners or supports, marked Il', y

The said arms G G- pass up through suitable ways or slides in or upon o. cross-bar, I, and are provided at the topwith a suitable removable cross-bar, J, fastened thereupon 4by means of screws. l

pon the guide-bnr I there is a series of ways or vertical grooves, in whiclltho arms G GV may have a ver? tical movement, .when arranged therein, by removing the cross-arm J, and withdrawing said arms from one set of ways and inserting them in another set, which provision is to enable the digger or shovel to havean adjustment towards or from either side of the machine,- if required.

To the said cross-bar J an larm, K, is attached, which arm K is provided with a hinge at lc, to permit the Y aforesaid lateral adjustment of the shovel H, and is also connected rigidly, so far as vertical play is concerned, to a lever; L, whose upper c nd lies within reach of the driver's hand, so that the driver, by drawing baclc the lever, can raisc'thcshovel and the front end of the framcF F, und, by pressing it forward, .can lower the said l parts, thc joint shown ntff, in iig. 3', permitting such-motion in said frames F;

The joints ff are formed by fixing a pin to the upperplate F,.ond having the same project through a curved 'slot in thc upper end oi'l the lower part of lthe frame, so ,said ylower part, when' its front end is raised or lowered, moves freely upon or abo'utsaid pins. In yorder that the said lever Luray be moved-as aforesaid, however, the operetor'must press thehandle m up,close"`to the handle of the lever, the effect of which' is to draw up the end of the arm m" vand the rod-m, and so, withdraw the latch n from the ratchet-areal', when the -lcvcr IInnay be moved, asdesired, to raise or lower the shovel, and, when adjusted at the desired height, by simply releasing the handle m', n. spring, o., throws the latch n back into the ratchet, securely locking the digger at the elevation required.

A t the front and rear of the frames F F,`are the rollers M, around which passes an endless apron or convcyer, composed of transverse slots, as shown, placed near enough together to prevent the potatoes from falling through, after being thrown -back thereupon from the shovel II, passing over a. barred bridge, z, which is connected withthe heel of the shovel, and projects back to the conveyor N, asshown.

Upon a second upright frame, C C D, at-thc rear end, is a roller, O', and at or near the frontend of said frame, and just` at the rear of the u pper end of the convcyer N, is another roller, O, around which passes another conveyor, P, composed of slats, which pcrmits'thc potatoes, and such portions of thesoil as may adhere thereto or remain in lumps, to fall through upon a screen, Q, 'the vines; in the mean time, passing along upon said conveyer, to be passed out or discharged at the rear of the machine. f

The potatoes are caught upon the screen Q, through which all the soil or earth drops upon the ground, while the potatoes pass down the screen into a cross-chute, R, the said screen and thc bottom of the chute being formed of parallel bars, lying in the direction in which the potatoes are to be conveyed, and from the said chute the potatoes are delivered into an elevator, U, whose buckets, it, carry them up and deliver them into the mouth of a sack, as shownin fig. 2. I

Tho said sack or'bag sets or rests upon a platform, z, which may or may not be provided with a series, one or more, of rollers, to,facilitate the sliding od of the sack, when full, by the tipping up of said .platform by means of the system of rods andlevers indicated by the dotted lines in fig. 2, which connect with a foot-lever, n', upon the foot-board S. v

The rod 1 is connected at one end to tho said platform Z, and at the other-to an angle-lever, 2, pivoted to the frame of the machine at 3, and at the'other end of said angle-lever a rod, 4, is attached, running to another angle-lever, 5, pivetcd tothe frame at 6, thc opposite end of said lever 5 being secured to a re'd, 7, connected with the foot-piece n', so that, by pressing .upon the piece 1i', it pushes the rod 7 down, and thus, by means of the aforesaid arrangement, raises the front edge of the platform z for the purpose specified, and,whil'e removing the pressure upon n', permits said platform to resume its original position. i

Having described the general plan of my said invention, I will describe the means by` which the required movements are imparted to the various parts of the machine.

W represents tho drive-wheel, which is provided with a gear-wheel, X, in such a manner connected theres with that the gear-wheel revolves with the drive-wheel, when4 the machine moves forward, but remains stationary when the drive-wheel revolves, as the machine is backed, or whenever the drive-wheel revolves in the reverse direction, the other main wheel being so constructed as to keep the machine in operation while being turned around on the side where the wheel X is situated. The said gear-wheel X engages with a spur-wheel, Y, upon the end of the shaft, which carries the rear roller M, and thereby communicates motion to the conveyer N, and to the other partsV of the machine, as hereinafter specified.

The spur-wheel Y is arranged upon its shaft im such a manner as to -have'a sliding movement upoxrthe same, its revolution causing the shaft to revolve when in one position, but said spur revolving freely upon said shaft when in the other position.

The motion required to throw the spur-wheel Y in and out of gear, is communicated thereto by means-of a lever, E', arranged in reach of the driver, said lever being heldin the required` position by means of a suit. able catch.

Upon the opposite end of the said rear-shaft M fromthat upon which the pinion'Y is arranged is a drum, and upon the corresponding end of the shaft O is a similar drum, 'and a band or its equivalent,y, passing around said drums, communicates the desired movement to the conveycrl.

Near the circumference of the drum' uponl the shaft O is a. pin, b, which 'is conneciad by arod to a bent lever, a, the opposite end of said bent lcver'being connected hy a red, c, to the frame of the screen 4Q, so that the revolution of said drum also communicates a vibratory orshaking movement to said screen, its frame E being suspended from the frame D by means of suitable elastic or movable hangers t', as seen. in g. 2. The object of said vibratory motion of the screen Q-and chute R is to detach all the dirt from the potatoes, and cause them to pass down said screen and chute into the elevator.

There is also connected with the aforesaid pin b, a pitman er rod, d, whose opposite end is attached or connectedto a pin, e, arranged eccentrically upon'a shaft, g, so that the revolution'ef the drum to which the pin I is attached causes the revolution of the shaft g.

Upon said shaft g, and just .beneath the conveyor P, as clearly seen in fig. 3, is fixed a beater, p, which continually knocks and jars the said conveyor, so us to detach the potatoes from the vines, as the vines pass along to the rear of the machine.

Upon the opposite end of thc shaft O isa drum, as shown, around which and a drum upon the upper shaftl of the elevator, a belt passes, whereby motion is communicated to the conveyor of the elevator, which delivers the potatoes into the sack, as described, which may be secured upon the discharge-end of the elevator by means of hooks or other suitable devices.

` In fig. 3 is shewna close apron, Alying under that part of the conveyer P immediately over the chute R, to prevent any dirt from falling through into the chute. f

Having described the nature, construction, and operation of my invention, I will now specify what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. I claim the combination of the shovel H, the conveyors N and P, and the screen Q, arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes sot forth.

2. The combination of the shovel H and the-frames F F, supporting the conveyor N, when constructed and arranged in such n manner ns to bo adjustable vertically, o as' to make the shovel run at dierent depths, as herein specified.

3. In combination with the said shovel, the arrangement ofthe arms G G, erase-bar J, arm K, and lever L, to operato in the manner specified.

` 4. The arrangement of the apron t below the'eonveyer and over the chute R, for the purposes specified.

The arrangement ofthe chuteR with the screen Q, when used in combination with a conveyer, P, above the same, substantially as speciiied.v

6. In combination with the conveyers N P und screen Q and its side chute, I claim the arrangement of an elevator U, so us to operate in the manner set forth. Y l

7. The arrangement of n. tipping-platform, Z, below and to the rear of the discharge of the elevator, to sustain the sack in the manner described. l

8. Providing the said platform with one or moro rollers, to facilitate the-removal of the sacks when full, substantially as herein set forth.` f

HENRY P. HINZ. Witnesses:

W. E. Menus, -A.'1B.l J. Pensons. 

